Author Heather Terrell Discusses Her Latest Novel: Brigid of Kildare

By Martin Russell, 
Irish American Post book editor
 

Q: How did you become a writer?

A: I thought I'd begin by addressing your questions about how I started writing. I didn't start out as a writer, although I have always been a voracious reader of all types of fiction. I did my undergraduate work at Boston College, with a major in History. Afterwards, I graduated from the Boston University School of Law. For the 10 years that followed, I practiced as a commercial litigator at two of the country's premier law firms and for Fortune 500 companies.

Q: How do you get ideas for your stories?

A: The genesis for my writing — my first book The Chrysalis, at least — began with a question that a dear friend and fellow lawyer posed. She asked, "Would I ever decline to represent a client on moral grounds, even though the client had a solid legal basis for the position it wanted to advocate?" 

Her question stayed with me, and over time, a story grew in my mind. It formed the basis for my first novel, which has at its heart the tale of a young lawyer who's been asked to represent an art auction house against claims that a mysterious Dutch masterpiece belonged to the plaintiff's father, who had been killed by the Nazis. 

Yet, once the story idea took hold, this novel did not emerge overnight. In fact, it took 10 years to write this first book because I wrote it in fits and starts while practicing law. This included nearly a year of editing, at the behest of my wonderful agent. Once we felt the novel was ready for submission to publishing houses, I was extremely fortunate that Random House wanted to publish it - and two subsequent novels, including my latest Brigid of Kildare. You can imagine my delight! 

Q: What does a writer do to develop a theme?

A: As I embarked onto my second historical suspense novel, The Map Thief, I became intrigued by the notion that an object - be it a piece of artwork or an artifact - can tell a story, one that answers a historical mystery, as well as divulges something personal and secret about the creator of the object. So, when I needed to choose a topic for my third book, I cast about through time seeking another object that could tell a multi-layered tale. In so doing, I learned about the lost Book of Kildare, an early medieval Irish illuminated manuscript from the time of St. Brigid so beautiful it was described as "made by angels." 

As I delved into the research, it seemed that this Book of Kildare might reveal much about the why the Virgin Mary's portrait first appears in remote, early medieval Ireland and how her image and persona — indeed women's roles — were shaped by society over time. 

This formed the impetus for my third book, entitled Brigid of Kildare, which is the story of a strong, unconventional Brigid and the creation of one of the world's most breathtaking — and innovative — illuminated manuscripts, one that contains a hidden story about the powerful nature of the Virgin Mary. 

Q: Please describe what Brigid of Kildare is all about.

In my book, inspired by Brigid's unshakable faith and tolerance, Bishop Patrick ordains her as Ireland's first and only female priest and bishop. Followers flock in droves to her Kildare abbey and scriptorium. But the Church, hearing rumors of this heretical and powerful woman, deems her a threat to faltering Roman Empire and secretly sends a Roman priest and scribe named Decius to collect proof of Brigid's apostasy. 

As Decius records the unorthodox practices of Brigid and her abbey, and her lenience toward gospels banned by the Church, he becomes intrigued by her. Despite her upbringing as the daughter of royalty, Brigid has chosen an ecclesiastical life and ministers to her followers with a warriorlike commitment. 

So when Brigid assigns Decius a holy task — to create the most important and sacred manuscript ever made, a book that may have rivaled the Book of Kells — he finds himself at odds with his original mission. And when a second papal envoy arrives to collect Decius's findings and bring him back to the fold, the young priest faces the most difficult choice of his life — one with profound historical consequences.

Q: How does Brigid of Kildare fit into your interests?

A: The topic of Saint Brigid and ancient Ireland was a natural fit given my historical interests, my travels, and my ancestry. I had spent a fair bit of time in Ireland over the preceding years, including several trips to Dublin and a snowy New Year's celebration in Galway with my family in 2001. 

And, my ancestry stemmed from Ireland; many of my ancestors immigrated to America from Ireland in the late 1800s, primarily from the West of Ireland. Certain relatives even claimed that our Joyce family tree is somehow intertwined with that of famed James Joyce. Yet again, that boast could easily have resulted from the Irish gift of gab. 

Perhaps you can see why I wanted to tell the tale of a strong Irish woman, one who shaped history in ways we might not have originally imagined. 

Q: How did you uncover all the details for your story?

A: The research into Brigid of Kildare took considerable time and effort, but was certainly no hardship. I took yet another trip to Dublin and spent time at Trinity College studying its magnificent collection of ancient manuscripts, including the breathtaking Book of Kells that so inspired my version of the Book of Kildare. 

On that trip, I passed many hours at National Museum of Ireland, examining their amazing early medieval collection to gain information about the relics that figure in Brigid of Kildare. I traveled out to Kildare to get a sense of the landscape and the town, as well as the ancient site where Brigid allegedly lived and worked and built her famous abbey. And I spent countless hours reading history books and lives of saints and ancient accounts to gather facts and voices from the time that Brigid — and Mary — lived. 

The writing of Brigid of Kildare contained unique challenges. As a lawyer trained with a near-slavish attention to detail, I always try to get every historical fact perfect. Given that I was writing about the fifth century, this presented certain hurdles. And I wanted to create an appropriate voice for Brigid and Decius; no small feat for characters that lived so very long ago in a world that it hard for us to imagine. In the end, I had to remind myself that was writing a work of fiction, and surrender — even if just a little bit.

Q: What’s next?

A: After a few rewrites with my terrific Random House editor, I finished Brigid of Kildare. As with my other books, this moment contained both elation and sadness. Although I was eager to share Brigid's story with others, it was hard to say farewell to her. Brigid was such a fascinating and compelling character, at least as I envisioned her. And, I hope, as you find her.

Once I finished Brigid of Kildare, I took a short, personal break. But then, another story took hold in my mind. I now have a new, young adult series coming out in 2011, beginning with a book entitled Fallen Angel. And I have lots of other stories inside me, clamoring to be told.
 

British Flier Recounts Wartime Dangers in Afghanistan

Major Hammond is a British Royal Marine pilot serving on an exchange with the Chinook force at RAF Odiham. He has been deployed again to Afghanistan to undertake the crucial role being played by the CH47 in combat. A book on his experiences, Immediate Response (£10.78, Penguin, 336 pp.) was ghost-written by Claire Mcnaughton, whose husband is also a Chinook pilot.

In the words of writer Mcnaughton: It’s tricky times for the CH47 fliers. In the summer of 2009, the first British Chinook was shot down. Nobody died, but there are only so many ways you can bring an aircraft down from the sky and put it on the ground, so I imagine everyone at RAF Odiham is feeling the pressure of the ever increasing threat and won't want to be losing another one of our £35-million assets that are so essential on the Afghan battlefield.

But as Maj. Hammond mentions on page 125 of Immediate Response:

" Nobody wanted to lose a Chinook. There are another 12 blokes on a Chinook. Imagine what happens when a Chinook gets shot down. We send another one. It becomes a Chinook pile-up. Imagine how many casualties would be on the ground. Is the area secure? How are we going to secure it? Are there enough forces there to pick up the casualties? Potentially, it becomes an enormous op. Dropping off more people are we going to secure a landing site? Will troops have to fight into the town to secure a landing site to pick up casualties? Bad juju. "

Let's hope it's not down to the inevitable 'Combat Darwinsim' he refers to on page 25

" Among the Taliban, we can see combat Darwinism in action. The clever ones are the ones that are left alive. They are getting smarter. The more they observe us, the more they understand how we operate and think. They know we have legal constraints and they can actively exploit the weaknesses created by those constraints. The Taliban are targeting the Chinooks and we are the ones taking the rounds. "

As Maj.Hammond echoes all the Odiham boys thoughts on page 257

" Our lives hang daily by a thread which we thought was as thick as a three-metre strop but in reality was as fragile as a cobweb. It reminded me of the IRA statement to Maggie Thatcher after the Brighton bombings: ‘You have to be lucky every day, we just have to be lucky once.’ 

This is more than just another 'I slotted him' war book and the threat to the Chinooks in Afghanistan is greater than ever.

I wrote this book so I am keen to try and get it out there. My husband is a Chinook pilot (although not the author Maj. Mark Hammond). So it was quite a journey having to delve deeply into a world where I normally bury my head in the sand and pretend that he is not a war zone at all; but just somewhere where his absences continually inconvenience me because usually the kids are always sick and a domestic appliance blows up. 

Indeed, to have to confront that he actual flies in the face of certain death and that he’s not on a beach holiday was significant. For me the threat to the CH47 force is now very real. 

To some extent I can’t believe that a few weeks ago, a Chinook was shot down. Especially after spending a year researching the significance and impact of such an incident to be faced with it head on was shocking to say the least. Fortunately, nobody died but I can’t help thinking this is the just the beginning – at the end of the day there are only so many ways you can land and launch a Chinook and those boots need to get on the ground.

By virtue of being the wife of CH47 pilot, the serviceman involved gave me rich, informed, candid content that they would have never trusted to a journalist. So I believe, and the feedback from inside the force that I have received supports this notion, the book we have delivered is genuine and not an embellished, glorified look at the work in Afghanistan. But it’s an honest and real account of the operational role and experiences being undertaken.

Two Irish American Classics Published by Lens & Pen Press

Missouri’s Lens & Pen Press, a Springfield-based publisher, is publicatishing a companion volume to Mystery of the Irish Wilderness, a 2009 Independent Publisher Book Award gold medal winner. Brought together for the first time are Bishop John Joseph Hogan’s two classic memoirs: On the Mission in Missouri: 1857-1868 and Fifty Years Ago: A Memoir. Edited by Crystal Payton, the book also provides extensive biographical information on Bishop Hogan and historical context for each of the two settings.

Raymond J. Boland, Bishop Emeritus of the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese and a native of Ireland, has written an introduction.

On the Mission recounts the young missionary’s eleven years on the frontier of Missouri, through the Civil War. His first person accounts of train wrecks, travel by handcar, horseback and riverboat, the Centralia Massacre, and his arrest for violation of the "Test Oath" following the War create a lively and personal picture of rugged frontier life, historical personalities and events. 

Readers discover the only first-person account of his Irish settlement in the Missouri Ozarks, in the area now called the "Irish Wilderness." While On the Mission ends when he first becomes a bishop, Payton’s research follows him through his administration of two dioceses to his death in 1913.

Fifty Years Ago portrays his childhood and education in 1830s and 1840s Ireland. Momentous historical events contrast with a lively rural upbringing and rigorous education. "I was born in the year of Catholic Emancipation" (1829) he begins. Study for "the ecclesiastical state" at the Croom School included day trips to participate in rallies by Irish nationalist Daniel O’Connell. But all was not politics or school. John Hogan acquired a rough and ready skill set from his rural Irish childhood, which prepared him for his adventures on the Missouri frontier:

Riding was one of our favorite sports in those days. These fields, to the 
great delight of us youngsters, had a never-failing supply of lively, well-ed donkeys, young and old. Old donkeys were not boys’ first choice because of their vicious habits, of biting their riders’ legs and rushing their riders against thorny hedges and stone walls.

A talented realist writer, Hogan’s accounts of life in Ireland and America are keenly observed, poignant and at times delightfully humorous.

On the Mission in Missouri & Fifty Years Ago: A Memoir, (ISBN: 978-0-9673925-5-4: 224 pages, illustrated, price $24.95) is available at many bookstores or through amazon.com. Copies can also be ordered from the publisher, postage paid. For more information on this and other Lens & Pen books visit http://www.beautifulozarks.com
 

GAA Celebrates 125th Anniversary with Academic Look at Sport

As the GAA celebrates its 125th year, a new book from a University of Ulster academic examines the role of the organization in the United States. Gaelic Games, Nationalism and the Irish Diaspora in the United States, written by Dr. Paul Darby from Ulster’s Sport and Exercise Research Institute, uncovers the origins of Gaelic games in the U.S in the late 19th century, accounts for their subsequent development and explores the socio-economic, political and cultural impact of the GAA in Irish-America. 

In the year when the North American County GAA Board is celebrating its 50th Anniversary, Dr. Darby said, "The role of the GAA has largely been ignored in the considerable academic literature on the Irish experience in America."

"The GAA in America played a significant role in the lives of many of those who left Ireland in the late 19th century and beyond. It gave them a sense of the familiar in otherwise unfamiliar surroundings. It provided entry into social networks that allowed them to find work and somewhere to live and it eased what could be a difficult transition from a slower paced rural Irish existence to a frantic urban environment in the US."

The book, based on ethnographic and archival research carried out in America over a six year period and part-funded by the British Academy, also examines the relationship between US branches of the GAA and Irish nationalism and shows that this relationship varied according to events both in America and in Ireland. 

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, U.S. Gaels named their clubs after popular nationalist figures, they engaged in fundraising for nationalist organizations in Ireland, both militant and parliamentary and they saw their involvement in the GAA as an extension of their nationalist politics. The outbreak of the Troubles in Northern Ireland saw these links re-intensify with GAA clubs and officials providing financial support to organisations such as Irish Northern Aid and galvanizing support in America for republicanism.

The research conducted by Darby, a senior lecturer in the School of Sports Studies, details the ways in which the GAA in the US has become increasingly de-politicised in recent years, reflecting broader transformations in republican politics brought about by the peace process in Northern Ireland. 

Slowing immigration from Ireland to America on the back of the Celtic Tiger and the introduction of more stringent border controls in the US following 9/11 have required the GAA to adapt in other ways in the same period. 

Darby said that "the downturn in immigration over the last 10 to 15 years has seen a whole host of Irish organisations in America struggle. The GAA has been no different. This has been recognised by those who are so passionate about preserving Gaelic games and they are increasingly looking to young Irish-Americans as well as children without any Irish lineage to sustain these sports in the future."

The Irish Government and the parent body at Croke Park in Dublin recently acknowledged the importance of Gaelic games in helping to maintain Irish heritage in America by providing funding for facilities and youth development programmes across the country. This should ensure that the GAA remains vibrant and relevant in Irish-America and is fitting recognition of the role played by countless volunteers who have, as Dr. Darby’s book shows, invested so much time, energy and money in order to preserve and promoteGaelic games in America. 

Gaelic Games, Nationalism and the Irish Diaspora in the United States is published by University College Dublin Press.

Author Sean McCabe on Midwestern Tour

A Good Deed & Other Stories is a series of 17 interconnected short stories describing the growing pains of youngster Eoin Grady in the fictional town of Baile in the Irish midlands. Set in the mid’70s, author Sean McCabes' book charts his progress through the most typical events of irish boyhood, such as a First Confession (that goes disastrously wrong), being sent to sell programs at a GAA match, taking requisite, but hated, piano lessons from the local nuns, periodic visits to relations in neighboring counties and school tours to Paris

These are ordinary events, but somehow appear to be tinged with disaster, leadiing readers to conclude that perhaps even the most ordinary of events are not so ordinary after all. McCabe’s stories are told humorously and are a fun read for anyone familiar with Ireland’s rural or small town of that era.

McCabe was born in Co. Meath, earning a masters’ degree in English Litterateure at Trinity College. He currently lives in New York and works as a professional musician. McCable has issued four CDs with his band "The McCabes." Several of his short stories have been published in Ireland’s Own, Ireland’s Eye and other popular magazines.

In February, McCabe is making the rounds of Irish centers and other Gaelic gathering locales for readings, singing and playing some jigs and reels on his mandolin. He’ll also discuss the history of Irish literature with special focus on famous short stories and novels. There is a cover charge. For more details, www.mccabesband.com.

Sean McCabe’s Midwestern Tour Dates:

• Wednesday, Feb 17: Kansas City Irish Museum & Cultural Center, 7:00p.m. www.irishmuseum.org.
• Thursday, Feb. 18: 0’Brien's Nine Irish Brothers, Lafayette, Ind., 9:00p.m. www.nineirishbrothers.com
• Friday, Feb. 19: The Milwaukee Irish Cultural & Heritage Center, Milwaukee, 7:30p.m. www.ichc.net
• Saturday, Feb. 20: Irish American Heritage Center, Chicago, 6.30p.m.; www.irish-american.org
• Saturday, Feb. 20: the Abbey Pub, Chicago, 10:00p.m. www.abbeypub.com

Winter Reading List

Compiled by Martin Russell
The Irish American Post book editor
 

A marvelous grab bag of winter reading delights has come over the transom to the Irish American Post. A sampling follows. 

An Irish Country Christmas, by Patrick Taylor (Tor/Forge, $14.99 paperback).

It’s never too late for a delightfully good holiday read, regardless of what the calendar says. Author Patrick Taylor takes his fans back to the village of Ballybuckleboo, where Dr. Fingal O’Reilly and his young partner Barry Laverty must deal with the sneezes and foibles of the locals. The relationship between the physicians and their clientele is a study in humor and compassion. Give this book as a gift to your congressperson to demonstrate how a health plan should work. Taylor, born in Bangor, Co. Down, and now living in Canada, has been a contributor to The Irish American Post. 

An Irish Country Girl, by Patrick Taylor (Tor/Forge, $24.99).

In Country Girl, Patrick Taylor provides the backstory to Kinky Kincaid, the inimitable housekeeper for Dr. Patrick O’Reilly in the mythical village of Ballybuckleboo. Kincaid is one of the many lovable characters populating Taylor’s warm stories, making this book about her growing up years especially inviting. It’s as if Ms. Kincaid is in the reader’s kitchen, bustling up a pot o’ tea and some well-needed advice about life and love.

Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show, by Frank Delaney (Random House, $26).

Coming out in February, 2010, Frank Delaney’s latest missive again demonstrates that he is a master of true wit and storytelling. Set in 1932, the tale focuses on Ireland’s political turmoil as the young nation begins finding its way. There’s plenty of romance, plus a gorgeous actress, venal politicos and even a ventriloquist’s dummy to help move along the action. Delaney is a Tipperary man, now living in New York City and Connecticut. With this, his writing shows he never abandoned his roots.

The Maeve Binchy Writers’ Club, by Maeve Binchy (An Anchor Books Original, $14.95). 

Want to write a short story? A book? Literary doyen Maeve Binchy’s "how-to" is a fun way to try your hand at wordsmithing. She’s aided by essays on the craft by author friends Marian Keyes, Carole Baron, Norah Casey and Chris Bohjalian. Binchy contributes six new, gemlike tales to the volume, demonstrating that hard work, patience and enjoying what one does really pays off. 

Close to the Floor: Irish Dance form the Boreen to Broadway, edited by Mick Molonye, J’aime Morrison and Colin Quigley (MacCater Press, $17.95).

Top names in the Irish dance world contributed their thoughts to this academic look at the world of step-dancing and jigs. Donny Golden, Mark Howard, Orfhlaith Ní Bhriain, Mary Nunan, Niall O'Leary and Micheál Ó Súilleabháin are among the experts dissecting the roots of Irish dance movement and how it has changed over the generations. This is a must read for anyone involved in Irish dancing, particularly teachers and company managers.

Captain Rock: The Irish Agrarian Rebellion of 1821-1824, by James S. Donnelly, Jr. (University of Wisconsin Press, $35).

This study of one of Ireland’s many misadventures in revolt is a deeply moving probe of the island’s ever-present nationalist sentiments and violent ferment, this time over agrarian reform. The intensity of the movement is a crystal ball, foretelling the upheaval about to come in post-Famine Ireland. Donnelly, a history professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is co-editor of Érie-Ireland magazine and author of numerous other historical volumes on Ireland. 

On the Irish Waterfront: The Crusader, the Movie, and the Soul of the Port of New York, by James T. Fisher (Cornell University Press, $29.95). 

Fisher, a theology professor at Fordham University, touches behind-the-scenes backstory that went into the making of the classic film On the Waterfront with "boxer" Marlon Brando and "priest" Karl Malden. The crooked union leaders, on-the-take politicians, fervent clergy and reformist dockworkers come alive in this real tale about the fight over the soul of one of America’s largest ports. Fisher ably brings it all together in his deeply informative study of what made Budd Schulberg’s 1954 movie so resounding in its presentation of real life.

All the Dead Voices, by Declan Hughes (William Morrow, $24.99). Declan Hughes has a fascination with voices, probably stemming from his 20 years as a playwright working in Dublin. His stories always seem more lively when spoken by such strong characters as his fabled private detective Ed Loy. The poor wretch is always on the edge of more-or-less self-imposed doom, but Hughes masterfully allows Loy to redeem himself one more time in All the Dead Voices. This is crime novelizing at its peak. 

Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem: Memories from Family and Friends, by Karen Klausner Chute. (Wandering Rose Publishing, $22.95)

After 23 years of her notes being packed away, Karen Klausner Chute retrieved the taped interviews and a travel journal from a trip to Ireland where she spoke with the famed Clancy and Makem musical families. This treasure trove of laughter and emotion makes a grand read for any fan of the famed musical group. This is probably the first full-length biography of the fabled folk singers in such a moving format. Rich in conversation, deep in personal insights, Chute performed a masterful job in relating little-known vignettes of these men who set Irish music on the world stage.

Courage and Conflict: Forgotten Stories of the Irish at War, by Ian Kenneally (Dufour Editions, $31.95).

Pulling together nine tales of Irish in battle, including Custer’s Last Stand and the American Civil War, Ian Kenneally’s stories are of courage and honor. Most of the stories are little known, from the Irish volunteering for the Papal army of 1860s to stalking man-eating lions in Africa. Whether well-known or almost lost to history, the exemplary devotion to duty of Irish soldiers comes through again and again. Kenneally does a masterful job in honoring these men.

Orangutan: The Story of an Irish Drunk in the Concrete Jungle, by Colin Broderick (Crown Publishing, $14).

This is no book for the faint-hearted; but the gripping tale of addiction and ultimate redemption is emotionally moving. Broderick, a New York Times contributor and writer for Irish American newspapers, relates how the traditional notions of craic just ain’t what they used to be - particularly for newly-arrived Irish trying to find their way in America. Now sober after what seemed to be a lifetime of alcoholism, Broderick warns his readers "this is not a pleasant story." He wryly adds, "And if you don’t like it, I don’t care. Stop whining and go write your own damned book." Subsequently, read and learn.

Ireland Travel 101, by Patricia Preston (Xlibris Corp., $23.99).

Authored by Pat Preston, Ireland Travel 101 explores Ireland’s wide highways and narrow byways in amazing detail. Author of 15 books on her native land, travel writer Preston certainly knows where to go and what to do on the Emerald Isle. One of today’s foremost explorers of Ireland, Preston encourages readers to begin their Irish adventure by planning well. Her insightful tips on transportation, lodging, shopping and pricing can save a lot of headache when finally on the ground. With her easy-to-read, fun-to-follow format, Preston makes an exceptional ambassador, tour guide and companion. This book is almost as good as having her in the passenger seat. Keep this volume in your glove compartment when back in the Auld Sod. 

The War for Ireland: 1913-1923, edited by Peter Cottrell (Osprey Publishing, $28).

Vividly illustrated with many rare photos, historian Peter Cottrell’s rendition of the Irish rebellion and resulting civil war brings alive the terrible days of Ireland’s struggle for freedom. The book provides excellent backgrounding on the numerous factions, both on the Irish and British sides, during the extended conflict. The book concludes with a lively discussion on how Britain and Ireland have come to terms with this past.